


From Cainhurst, With Love

by EvilMuffinLord



Category: Bloodborne (Video Game), 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia
Genre: Animal Death, Blood and Gore, F/M, Impalings, Just generally a bad time for Mina, Slow descent into beasthood, beheadings, but its off screen, lots of death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-05
Updated: 2020-10-05
Packaged: 2021-03-07 16:00:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,327
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26760283
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EvilMuffinLord/pseuds/EvilMuffinLord
Summary: When Mina receives a mysterious summons to a far off castle, she feels compelled to follow it. What she finds at the destination will change her life entirely.
Relationships: Ashido Mina/Midoriya Izuku (Implied)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 14





	From Cainhurst, With Love

**Author's Note:**

> So, this is a bit of a departure from my usual work. I wrote it while considering applying to the BNHABorne zine. I'm no longer doing that, but I enjoyed this fic so much, I decided to finish it up. If you've come looking for my usual fluff, don't go expecting it. There's no happiness here, just a bad time for everyone involved. I hope people enjoy it anyways, though.

Mina shivered as she made her way down the dilapidated stone pathway of Hemwick lane. Her breath came out in white puffs, and even the high collar of her hunting attire did little to mitigate the chill wind that blew along her path.

She had been following the winding, half-destroyed lane for several hours now, passing from the massive stone and wrought iron architecture of Yharnam's Cathedral Ward into the dark and gloomy woods that lay beyond it.

Those woods had contained creatures that Mina had never before encountered, and dearly wished that she would never see again. Shadowy figures that arose from the ground in a glow of witchlight and stalked her through the trees with shrieks that tore at her ears and mind both. The spike-covered wolves and blood-starved men that lurked among its bows as well were tame by comparison. She had at least dealt with their ilk before.

Beyond that, she had encountered the mad hags of Hemwick, dancing around their fires as they cackled and chanted. The words, if they even were words at all, were entirely foreign to Mina, but their meaning danced on the edge of her consciousness, as though if she were to just entertain them for a while longer, she would understand what these women found so amusing.

Twin dollops of wax had done much to mitigate their voices, though they had not eliminated them entirely. Nor had they stopped the hags from throwing Molotov cocktails at Mina as she fought her way to her destination.

Hemwick crossing was as dilapidated and overgrown as the rest of the Lane. Its cobblestones were cracked and broken, and large patches of grass had sprouted from the missing sections. Even the large stone monolith near the center of the crossing was being slowly consumed by creeping vines. The edges of the path were flanked by small groups of crumbling gravestones, their lettering far too faded to make out in any sort of detail, and tall wooden spikes, each with a dangling corpse impaled on them, a mockery of the few leafless and desiccated trees that clung to the soil.

It was also heavily guarded, with two of the massive, hooded executioners patrolling the road itself and numerous spiked dogs lurking in the long grass on either side of the road. Their yips and growls almost blended into the background noise of the crossing, but not quite.

Unconsciously, she adjusted her grip on the threaded cane that she carried. She had received it shortly after arriving in Yharnam, and it had been her constant companion since then. It had torn through more men and beasts than she could count at this point, and would likely tear through many more before the hunt was over.

Setting her teeth, Mina began to pad toward the nearest executioner. No matter what the odds, she would not falter, and she would not yield. She was going to survive this night and return home.

She had made a promise, after all.

* * *

Mina let out a sigh as she leaned heavily against the massive stone monolith at the center of the crossing. Her legs were covered with wounds where the hounds had torn into them, and her arm throbbed where she had been burned by a surprise Molotov thrown by a hag that she had missed in the confusion of the melee, but she had managed to defeat all of the enemies that had been lurking around the crossing.

Quickly, she reached into her belt pouch and pulled out a blood syringe, jamming it into her thigh. The rush of relief as the blood entered her veins and began to knit her flesh back together was incredible, as always. Her fatigue lessened, her vision sharpened and revealed a host of colors she had never even noticed before. Even her sense of smell seemed to increase in intensity, letting her smell every drop of spilled blood around her.

Her breathing sped up as she tried to contain the surge of energy. A deep, primal part of her wanted to run wild, to dash up the hill in front of her and lay waste to anything and everything in her path. It wanted to run, to fight, to _hunt._

Before the feelings could overtake her, Mina raised a hand to her mouth, closed her eyes, and bit down viciously on the base of her thumb. Her teeth, sharper than she remembered them being, pierced the leather of her gloves and bit into the flesh beneath. The pain was good; it let her focus, it grounded her in a way that few things did at this point.

Slowly, far too slowly, her breathing slowed and she stopped feeling quite so wound up. The twitching in her limbs stilled, and her vision returned to normal, the strange colors fading into memory, and the pools of blood near her feet stopped seeming quite so inviting. She still wasn't quite back to normal though. For that, she needed something to ground her, to remind her why she was there.

Discarding the empty blood vial, Mina reached into her belt pouch once again and pulled out a weathered envelope made of thick, yellowed parchment. One corner was stained heavily with blood, and the ink on the front was incredibly faded, but the words "Summons to Castle Cainhurst" could still be made out. The letter that the envelope contained had been much easier to read, though a part of Mina wondered if she wouldn't have been happier not having encountered it in the first place.

Somehow, the letter, which looked like something her grandmother would have sent, had been addressed specifically to her and had requested that she make her way to Hemwick Crossing quickly to make her carriage.

She glanced around the empty crossing. There wasn't a single carriage in sight, or even signs that there had been one passing through the area in the last decade. She wasn't even sure how a carriage would reach the area. She had traversed most of the path, and it was certainly not carriage worthy. The only part that she hadn't explored led towards the crumbling bridge overlooking the lake ahead of her…

The sound of clopping hooves and creaking wood caused Mina's head to snap up, and her eyes boggled at what she saw.

From the lake, a massive bank of fog had emerged, so thick that she could cut it with a knife. From that bank, a pair of wizened-looking horses appeared, pulling an ornate carriage behind them. They trotted down the path without a care in the world, coming to a stop directly in front of her, as though this were all perfectly routine and they hadn't just appeared out of thin air.

The horses themselves were like nothing she had ever seen before, great black beasts with manes that flowed down their necks and along their backs, stirring in a nonexistent breeze as the pair stood stock still, not even seeming to breath. The sockets where their eyes should be were shadowed and empty, dark mockeries of the life that should have brimmed there.

The carriage, too, was in quite a state. Its paint was chipped and faded, and the metal fixtures were corroded and dripping with rust, as if they had weathered countless storms. Four storm lanterns hung at the corners of the carriage, illuminating it even in the creeping fog that seemed to be following the carriage. The light also allowed Mina to see the empty seat where the carriage drive should be sitting.

Before she could do more than stare, the door to the carriage began to open, creaking all the while. As it did, Mina craned her neck to peer around it, hoping to catch a glimpse of whoever was inside the carriage. Instead, she was greeted by an empty compartment filled with yet more fog, which poured out and pooled around her feet. A few stray tendrils curled up and about her boots, probing delicately at her. Their touch was icy cold and surprisingly solid, and Mina instinctively kicked at the tendrils, forcing them back.

The fog retreated slightly, but did not entirely dissipate. It continued to flow out of the carriage, pooling on the ground without merging into the bank of fog that was still lurking behind the carriage, obscuring the way that it had come from.

Mina waited for something else to happen, for some sign indicating whether or not this was a trap designed to murder her in some horrible way, but nothing came. She could see no sign of lurking monsters or hunters, couldn't smell anything other than wood polish and old leather coming from the compartment, couldn't sense anything other than a simple, creepy carriage waiting to take her to her destination.

Cautiously, she placed a single foot on the step up to the carriage, testing her weight on it, her cane gripped tightly in her right hand and her entire body tense. The metal creaked ominously, but it held her weight without breaking.

"This is a bad idea," she murmured as she stepped up into the carriage.

The moment she was inside, the door creaked shut behind her, and the carriage jerked forward. Mina toppled backwards into one of the seats in surprise, nearly impaling herself on her cane as she did so. Thankfully, after the initial jerk, the ride was relatively smooth and she was able to arrange herself rather comfortably. It helped that the seats were relatively comfortable, despite their age.

She tried the carriage door, out of curiosity, but found it sealed shut, unyielding no matter how hard she shoved or kicked it.

The attempt to break out left her feeling unusually tired. Maybe there was something in the fog that even now pooled around the floor of the carriage, or maybe it was just finally being able to sit down on something relatively comfortable without having to be worried about someone slitting her throat while her guard was down. Either way, by her third attempt at opening the door, she could barely keep her eyes open.

Her energy spent, she fell back against the seats and quickly drifted off to sleep while the carriage trundled on through the mists towards Castle Cainhurst.

* * *

Mina awoke with a start, the biting wind coming in from outside rousing her from her slumber. She rose swiftly, stretching the kinks out of her back, and grabbed her cane and pistol. They were exactly where she had left them before she had drifted off, and in perfect working order, which was a relief.

Poking her head out of the open door of the carriage, Mina found that the carriage had stopped at the bottom of a long set of stone steps. Behind it was a stone bridge that had long ago collapsed into the water, leaving the question of how the carriage had made it to this spot very hard to answer.

The carriage itself had completely broken down, its axles snapped, the wood decayed beyond any possibility of repair. Even the horses that had drawn it were dead, their frozen corpses collapsed in front of the carriage, still wrapped in their harnesses. A layer of ice covered the whole thing, though it somehow hadn't reached into the compartment until just that moment.

Snow was thick in the air, making it hard to make out anything more than a few feet in front of her. Thankfully, the full moon's light managed to pierce the veil, to an extent, and revealed the outline of a massive stone wall at the top of the stairs. If Mina had any doubts about having reached Cainhurst, that sight dispelled them quickly.

That realization ignited a small coal of irritation in Mina. Here she had traveled for… a long time, she assumed, to reach the castle, and her hosts hadn't even bothered to invite her inside, let alone come out and meet her! It was such poor hospitality that she would need to give them a piece of her mind!

She nearly slipped three times making her way up the steps, but managed to reach the top without cracking her head open. Before her was a windswept and snow covered courtyard that was eerily silent, aside from the driving wind.

Just ahead and to her left was a small lantern that Mina lit by force of habit, the familiar action giving her a feeling of safety as she continued across the courtyard. The pale glow from that lamp would guide her back to this spot, even from the deepest dreams.

The crunch of her boots through the snow was so loud that she almost missed the clicking of insectoid legs coming from her right. It was only at the last moment that she heard them and threw herself to the side, her feet slipping slightly in the powdery substance.

Where she had just been standing was a massive creature that was a cross between a human and a tick. It's head resembled that of a wizened old man with a long tongue that was flicking from side to side and a mane of greasy hair that draped down over most of its face. It's belly was swollen with blood that churned around with an audible noise that made Mina want to retch, especially when combined with the sickly sweet scent that wafted off of it.

The creature lunged forward again, its long fingers reaching towards her face, but Mina was not so easy to defeat. At the last moment, she shifted to the side just enough to dodge the attack and lashed out with a blow of her own. The blade of her threaded cane flashed, a gleaming silver crescent dancing through the air, and drew a line of blood along the creature's side.

It screeched in pain, but the wound was far from debilitating. It spun around and lashed out at her with one of its forelegs, forcing her to hop back out of range. It took a second swing at her, but she was content to keep her distance from it after seeing the wickedly sharp claws that protruded from its fingers.

She flicked her wrist in a well-practiced manner and the segments of her cane separated, transforming the weapon into a series of small blades connected to the handle only by a length of woven cable. She reversed her grip, ready to swing the serrated whip in a wide arc and tear into the creature from a safe range.

She wasn't the only one with a surprise whip, however. The creature jerked its head to the side, and its tongue swung towards her with a surprising degree of force. It lashed along her cheek, drawing a bright line of pain along her face and a hiss from her lips. A few drops of blood began to roll down her face from the gash that the creature's tongue had opened.

The taste of blood seemed to invigorate the creature, and it moved in for the kill. It swung its arms wildly at her, trying to grab hold so it could suck out her lifeblood. She dodged and weaved as best she could, but the creature was fast and erratic, its strikes incredibly difficult to predict.

It took almost a minute, but she finally managed to get some distance thanks to some clever maneuvering around a frozen shrub that poked out of the snow. With some breathing room finally secured, she prepared to tear into the creature's hide, only to have it leap into the air directly towards her.

She jumped back, but not far enough. The creature came down on top of her, slamming her into the ground with its massive bulk. Her ribs cracked, and a burst of blood was forced out of her lips. A snowbank cushioned her head to an extent, the only reason she survived the blow, but her vision still swam.

Her arms were pinned on either side, unable to reach her weapons or even her belt no matter how hard she struggled against her captor. It leaned down, and slowly licked at the crimson trail running down her face. It shuddered in delight, leaning further towards her, confident that she was helpless before it.

In a desperate attempt to break free, Mina pulled her knees to her chest, ignoring the way her ribs screamed in agony over the action, then drove her heels into the creature's distended belly as hard as she could. The sac burst open from the attack, covering her in blood and viscera and sending the creature reeling back, howling in pain.

Mina scrambled to her feet, grabbing her weapon the moment she spotted it sticking out of a nearby snow bank. The blade bit into her hand slightly as she grabbed it, but she hardly noticed. It was only when its grip was firmly in her hand once more that she relaxed somewhat, her chances of winning having risen slightly.

A quick injection of blood later, and she was back in fighting shape. The shower of blood from the beast had helped somewhat, but it hadn't done quite enough for her liking.

With her health restored, she turned back to face the creature, only to find it cowering from her. One hand was wrapped around its burst abdomen, and it was dragging itself along the snow with the other, leaving a prominent red trail as it did so.

There was a small part of her that was tempted to let the creature go. It was wounded, but with enough blood it would heal, given time. Before Yharnam, before the hunt, she probably would have listened to it, would have let a defeated opponent live. The thought of ending a life, even one that had tried to end her own, would have turned her stomach. She had been naïve then, foolish. Now she knew better. Now she did not even hesitate.

She darted forward and swung her cane, taking the creature's head off with a single swing. It collapsed to the ground in a heap, the body twitching slightly before finally disappearing in a small burst of light.

Mina let out a sigh of relief and wiped the blood off of her face as best she could. It was a futile endeavor, but she did manage to remove most of the blood that was threatening to drip into her eyes.

The sound of more movement from behind her caused her to turn, finding another of the creatures stalking towards her, its tongue lapping at the air. The scent of blood had drawn it to her, no doubt. Behind the creature, Mina could see the dim outlines of more shuffling through the snow, on a direct course to her.

She grit her teeth. Her bones were still knitting themselves together, and her breathing was ragged, but she still raised her weapon defiantly. She had not come this far, braved the beasts of Yharnam and the horrors beneath its streets only to die here.

"Come and get me," she hissed, readying herself for the battle to come.

* * *

Mina stumbled into the castle, gasping for breath. She was soaked from head to toe in a combination of blood and quickly melting snow. Her weapon was slightly worn from careless strikes that had bit into stone instead of flesh, and her clothes were torn in several places, but she was alive.

It had been a near thing. There had been at least a half dozen of the blood-sucking creatures, some even larger than the one she had first encountered, and they had all struck with the same ferocity and power as the first. She had nearly been crushed several times before she managed to adjust to their movements and realized that the whip form of her weapon was less effective than its cane form.

Now, with the courtyard cleared and some extra coldblood in her possession, she was ready to finally meet her hosts. She emerged into a grand hall with polished marble floors that seemed to radiate cold, and a long red carpet that ran down the length of the hall and up a set of stairs at the far end. A pair of statues flanked said stairs, and Mina could see a few more lining the walls of the hall. She didn't recognize any of the figures they depicted, but then, she'd never been very good at history. Or school in general, really.

Distantly, Mina could hear the sound of women gently weeping. With the strange acoustics of the hall, she couldn't tell exactly where the sound was coming from, since it sounded like it was coming from all around her as she strode inside.

Her eyes were quickly drawn to a servant dressed in a tunic that looked far too thin to protect him from the cold that permeated the building, despite the numerous candles around the hall. A large, ruffled collar surrounded his neck, and a faded cap dangled down and obscured much of his face as he scrubbed furiously at the floor with a large brush.

Mina let out a small sigh of relief. Between the frost coating the outside of the castle and the tick creatures in the courtyard, she had been starting to wonder if the castle had been abandoned before she arrived.

"Excuse me!" she called, doing her best to wipe her shoes off as she stepped onto the plush carpet, "I got an invitation to come here, but I'm not quite sure where I'm supposed to go. Could you point me in the right direction?"

The servant jerked at her words, as though he hadn't even heard her come in, then raised his head to silently regard her. The tail of his hat covered the left side of his face and, when combined with his incredibly wizened face, made it nearly impossible to determine his expression. He didn't rush to greet her or to take her coat, though, which Mina was pretty sure was something servants were supposed to do for guests.

"Ummm, am I in the wrong place or something?" Mina asked, the idea only just now occurring to her. She had assumed that the carriage had taken her to the correct place, but there was always the possibility she was wrong. The carriage had been completely broken when she left it, and there was more than one castle in the world, after all. "Sorry, I just kind of assumed this was Cainhurst."

The name seemed to perk him up, and they crawled to their feet, grabbing a long cane that had been resting behind him. It looked quite similar in design to Mina's own, albeit with a much more intricate carved handle, and much less bloodstained.

When she saw the cane, Mina instantly tensed. She still remembered the crazed laughter and rattling of a Gatling gun from the first time she had dismissed a seemingly harmless old man.

When she saw how the servant was gripping the cane, however, she relaxed. He was holding it by the shaft, rather than the handle, which meant it couldn't be all that sharp. Besides, he was shuffling forward so slowly that he would struggle to catch an arthritic snail. She had just been overreacti—

There was no warning before the servant swung the cane at her head like a club. The swing was vicious, and would have seriously hurt if it had connected. It was only her well-honed reflexes for dodging fast-moving objects coming at her head that saved her.

She backpedaled quickly, putting some distance between her and her attacker. He was still swinging wildly, as if hoping she would charge back in blindly and be caught by a swing.

Rather than approach, Mina lifted the pistol that she carried in her left hand and fired a single shot at the man's chest. He went sprawling back as though he had been struck by a cannon blast.

Mina blinked in surprise. Her pistol was powerful, yes, and could knock even massive opponents off balance if struck at the right moment, but she hadn't been expecting quite that strong of a reaction. She didn't waste the opportunity, though, dashing forward and plunging her cane into his chest before he could clamber back to their feet and continue the assault.

His body, unlike the corpses of the creatures outside, did not disappear in a burst of light, but splayed on the floor like a doll whose strings had been severed. Blood pooled in an ever expanding puddle, staining the carpet an even deeper shade of crimson, and forcing Mina to keep an eye on her footing to avoid slipping.

As she stepped back from the corpse, her eyes caught on another servant in the corner of the room. He had been obscured by one of the hall's pillars up till now, so Mina hadn't noticed his presence. To her relief, he didn't seem to have noticed the commotion, too focused on his cleaning to pay attention to the world around him. Or maybe he was just so far gone that

It was a small victory, but a victory nonetheless. The less fighting that she had to do, the better. Even if the opponent was as incapable as the servant had been, they could still get lucky and do some damage.

Mina let out a gasp of pain as a knife was driven into her back, the tip protruding out of her jacket and sending a spray of red across the ground. It was long, and wickedly sharp, sharp enough to have slid through her body with next to no resistance. It was only by good fortune that it hadn't hit anything vital on its way through.

She swung her elbow behind her, catching her attacker in the head, and knocking them back. The knife slid out of her with a sickening squelch and a fresh wave of pain that Mina did her absolute best to suppress as she pulled yet another blood vial from her pouch. It was already worryingly empty, considering how little time she had spent in the castle.

Her attacker was a pale skinned and silver haired woman in a long, flowing white dress. Her eyes were wrapped in a bandage that was far too thick to see through, and a line of blood ran across her throat where someone had taken a blade to it. Maybe even the same blade that she now held.

Mina's elbow to the face had left the woman reeling, and Mina wasted no time in capitalizing on the opportunity. One attack from that knife had been more than enough for her.

She lunged forward, the tip of her cane piercing the woman's shoulder. The blow drew a cry of pain from the woman, and she stumbled back, waving her blade wildly in one hand. It was enough to make Mina keep her distance, and wait for an opening to present itself.

A slight shimmer in the air to her left was the only warning Mina got before another knife was swung at her face. The woman who swung it was nearly identical to the one Mina was already fighting, from the dress she wore and the knife she carried to the cloth covering her eyes. She had also been nearly invisible and silent in her approach.

It explained how the first woman had been able to sneak up on her. Mina had assumed that the woman had been lurking behind one of the pillars, or perhaps behind the doorway that Mina had entered from, and then had snuck up on her while she had her attention on the servant. If she had been lurking around the room while invisible, Mina could have walked right past her without noticing.

With two opponents shuffling towards her, Mina took a more defensive stance. A quick backstep put her out of range of the women, their shuffling gait giving her plenty of time to prepare her offense. She clipped her weapons to her belt to free her hands, then reached into a pouch towards the back of her belt. The glass bottles within were slippery, especially when her gloves were wet with blood, but she managed to get her fingers wrapped around the neck of one and pull it out.

Molotov cocktails had served Mina well throughout her journey through Yharnam. They were versatile, could be used to extend her range, and were effective at deterring both men and beasts. They were also very effective at ending fights before they began, as Mina was about to demonstrate.

From another pocket, she produced a lighter and touched it to the Molotov's wick. It blazed to life, hungry flames dancing along the cloth, searching for more fuel to feed their desperate hunger. Before they could find it, she cocked her arm back and let the cocktail fly. It soared through the air and shattered upon the woman who had first attacked Mina.

She shrieked, a horrible sound that tore at Mina's ears, and pulled back, smacking furiously at her dress. The Molotov had set several parts of it ablaze, though not as many as Mina had been hoping for. Still, she was occupied for the moment, which was a small blessing.

While the woman was thus occupied, Mina closed in on her other foe. The second woman did not seem to care about her companion's predicament, and was focused entirely on Mina. She swung her knife high in an overhand strike that would have been difficult to block, but was simple to parry.

Mina raised her pistol and fired a bullet almost directly into the woman's stomach. The woman dropped her knife to the ground and crumpled to her knees. Before she could recover, Mina slammed her fist into the woman's wound and grabbed at her innards. When she had a solid grip, she pulled out with as much force as she could muster, sending the woman sprawling. A moment later, the body began to dissipate like mist until nothing remained where she had been moments prior.

Flush with blood and victory, Mina turned on the first woman. Her dress was blackened in several places, and one patch on her shoulder was still smoking, but she seemed to have recovered from the fire, for the most part.

Mina fell on her in a frenzy, swinging her cane wildly back and forth. Each strike only drove her further, her vision as red as the blood she drew. It was only when she ran out of stamina entirely that her arm slowed and her eyes cleared, revealing a foe that had long ago dissipated, and a previously spotless marble floor that was carved with innumerable gouges.

She stood there, panting, as she took in the destruction she had wrought. If she hadn't known better, she would have thought it the work of a beast, savage, cruel, and mindless in its destruction.

Her stomach churned at that thought, and she turned away from the destruction. She needed something to focus on, something to distract her. As she cast her eyes about the room, a slight shimmer at the top of the staircase caught her eye. It was identical to the one Mina had seen before the second woman had attacked her.

Now that she knew what to look for, she could see more of them, lurking in the shadows of the hall, waiting for her to step too close so they could slip another knife into her ribs.

She ground her teeth at the thought, and hefted her cane. Once had been more than enough for the evening. Besides, she only had so many blood vials to spare before she would need to go back and restock.

She took the stairs two at a time, and soon, the sounds of weeping women were replaced with shrieks of pain and cries of misery.

* * *

Freezing air tore at Mina's lungs as she emerged onto the highest roof of the castle. Below, she had been protected from the driving wind by the castle walls, but here she had no such protection. It danced around her, tugging at her coat and threatening to blow her hat right off her head. She glanced around, hoping to find a spot to take shelter from the wind for a few minutes, but found nothing that would serve her purpose. The few spires that jutted out of the roof weren't large enough to give her any real cover, and the only other feature was a massive stone archway that divided the roof in half.

She sighed in disappointment. It would have been nice to have an area to take a rest in before she continued her exploration of the castle. Not that there was much left to explore. She had covered all the easily explorable areas, and had moved on to the roof as a last resort, nearly slipping to her death on the snow-covered roof tiles multiple times.

By all rights, she should have given up and returned home long ago. There didn't seem to be a single sane person left in the castle, or any hints to finding the Paleblood to be found, which meant she had no reason to stay. Only a vague feeling that she was missing something, that she needed to keep climbing ever upwards, had kept her there.

Not for much longer though. She was cold, tired, and ready to call it quits if this next area didn't pan out.

The archway was as ornate as the rest of the castle, and just as ice encrusted. A pair of torches burned at either side, proof that the servants were still hard at work, even after having been deprived of their sanity. With the light of the full moon overhead, however, they were mostly unnecessary. Even muted by the snowstorm, Mina had no problem seeing where she was going under its light.

She stepped through the arch, and was immediately blasted by a gust of wind so cold that it seemed to freeze the blood in her veins. Directly in front of her was a vortex of snow and ice that radiated such an intense cold that she knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that this was the heart of the storm surrounding Cainhurst. The anchor that had been placed here by the master of the Executioners to prevent the denizens of the castle from ever venturing forth again.

As she strode forward, the vortex began to dissipate, revealing the form beneath.

The years had not been kind to the Martyr Logarius. His once fine robe was torn and faded in many places, the crown atop his head was crooked, and his golden jewelry had corroded. The wind and snow had mummified his body, leaving only a paper-thin layer of skin to cover the bones beneath. His face was a grinning mockery of what it had once been. Even the scythe-like staff and longsword that rested against the chair had been worn away, and a layer of ice coated them.

A sharp crack echoed through the air as the corpse twitched, causing Mina to jump backwards, putting some distance between them. At first it was just a hand, but the tremors quickly moved throughout the rest of Logarius's body until the whole thing was shaking. Finally, the layer of ice that had formed over him burst apart, letting him climb to his feet.

No eyes remained in his sockets, but Mina could still feel his gaze upon her as he reached behind himself in a way that would dislocate a living person's shoulders and grabbed his staff and blade. Each movement was jerky and imprecise, but they were growing smoother with every passing moment, the Martyr shaking off the few bits of ice that still impeded him.

When she saw his staff begin to glow with an eerie red light, she knew that she had to move. He made a wide, sweeping gesture, and a line of shrieking skull images raced forward, following her movements as she ducked behind one of the raised sections of roof for cover. The skulls burst harmlessly against the tile, and Mina dashed out of cover, hoping to close the distance before Logarius could react.

He was already readying another attack, this time raising his staff above his head. A large sphere of energy was forming at its tip, a few smaller versions of the skulls swirling around it. Before Mina could even get halfway to him, Logarius brought his staff down, and the sphere began to fly towards her.

Rather than reverse course, Mina charged ahead, hoping to get under the meandering arc of the sphere before it could reach her. To her satisfaction, she managed to easily run under it, not even feeling a hint of its deadly energy as she closed the gap. She lashed out with her cane and scored a hit against the Martyr, who flinched back in pain. A second swing clipped his arm, and forced him to leap away from her.

She tried to close in again, but a second burst of skulls forced her to dodge to the side. She might have been able to dash through them, but it would be a risky venture without knowing the timing, and she didn't feel like risking it so early in the fight. Unfortunately, her dodge allowed Logarius enough time to collect his thoughts, if a walking corpse even had thoughts anymore.

He summoned another swirling orb, hurling it at Mina with a quick swing of his staff. Rather than charge in again, she opted for her original strategy of taking cover behind the spires that jutted out from the roof. She threw herself behind one of them, confident that it would protect her. To her surprise and horror, the sphere simply passed through the structure as though it were completely insubstantial. The moment that it touched her skin, the sphere detonated, blasting Mina backwards across the roof and dangerously close to the edge.

She scrambled to her feet as quickly as she could and pulled a blood vial free. The only consolation of her position was that Logarius was on the opposite end of the rooftop, with no clear line of sight to her position. She could see the tell-tale red glow of another sphere being summoned, but they moved slow enough that she didn't have to worry about a one-two combo.

With her wounds treated by the blood, Mina readied herself for a second charge. His ranged attacks were far more potent than hers, so a long range battle was out. Now she just had to figure out how to keep him from jumping away again once she got close to him.

She dashed forward, pumping her legs as hard as she could. A burst of skulls flew towards her, but Mina was able to duck under them with inches to spare. Then, as he prepared another energy sphere, Mina lunged forward with her cane. The blow caught him off balance, and he stumbled backwards. She tried for a second swing again, but the Martyr brought his sword up and blocked her attack in mid air before sending a rain of strike towards her.

Apparently he had some skill in duels as well as arcane magics. His blows were swift and precise, forcing Mina to use all of her skill to deflect them. Each blow packed enough force to send her slipping back a few inches, despite her putting her all into blocking them.

Thankfully, he didn't keep up the assault for long. After a few moments, Logarius ceased attacking, and regarded Mina with his cold, dead eyes. He didn't need to stop for breath, so Mina wasn't quite sure why he ceased his attack. No matter the reason, though, she wasn't going to let the opportunity slip out of her grasp.

She slashed at his chest furiously, landing three punishing strikes that carved open his chest cavity. A few bits of blood sprayed across her, but it was nothing like what she was used to. Only a few drops remained in Logarius, which begged the question of how powerful he had been in his prime. Powerful enough to wreath the whole castle in ice and preserve himself in death, apparently.

Despite the damage he was taking, Logarius didn't flinch back. Instead, he brought his staff down in front of himself, preventing her from landing any other clean strikes. A more wary opponent might have backed off, but Mina opted to continue her assault, albeit at a different angle. She hopped forward and to the side, landing nearly behind the desiccated Martyr, and prepared to attack his unprotected backside.

The skull shaped explosion of energy that erupted from his staff caught her completely by surprise. If she had still been standing in front of him, it almost certainly would have sent her flying again. Even out of its initial blast, the force still caught her, and forced her to pull away from Logarius before she could land a single strike.

He too gained some distance, moving towards the center of the rooftop. Mina was tempted to see if a Molotov would slow him down a bit, but something in her gut told her to hold off. Besides, she would have to put her weapons away to do that, which seemed like a serious mistake in this battle.

She ran towards him, dodging around the volley of skulls that he sent her way, and prepared a new assault. Before she could, Logarius swung his staff again, but released only a single skull that floated lazily towards her.

A feral grin crossed Mina's face. It seemed even a corpse could make mistakes, and this one was about to cost him. She dodged around the skull with barely any effort, and raised her cane above her head. As she did, however, the seemingly harmless skull behind her tripled in size, then exploded, catapulting her forward. She slid to a halt at Logarius's feet, groaning in pain.

He didn't gloat, or stare at her in bestail hunger, as so many opponents before him had. He simply raised the butt of his staff and prepared to bring it down on her head.

On instinct, Mina threw herself to the side, rolling along the ground to keep her distance. Once she felt safe, she scrambled to her feet and looked wildly around for her opponent. Logarius was keeping his distance, preparing another energy sphere.

On instinct, Mina raised her pistol and fired a single round in his direction. It slammed into his shoulder, and while it didn't seem to do much damage, it did serve to break his concentration. The sphere above his head dissipated and gave Mina some room to breathe.

She slammed a blood vial into her leg, noting that it was one of the last she was carrying. After this, she would only have a single vial left with which to heal herself for the remainder of the fight. It was a sobering realization, and her already pounding heart sped up a bit.

Rather than summon another sphere, Logarius dropped to his knees and jammed his blade into the roof tiles. Red energy enveloped him, and Mina could hear a faint, raspy voice muttering what sounded like a prayer of some sort.

She didn't know what he was doing, but she knew that she didn't like the look of it. She raced forward, intent on stopping the ritual, only to be caught in a massive blast that shook the entire rooftop, and sent countless icicles plunging down below them.

Logarius stood, wreathed in an aura of red energy, his staff with the same power, and his eye sockets glowing like coals.

Before Mina had time to properly think about the transformation, he leapt into the air, kicking off against seemingly empty space, and rocketed towards her, the scythe blade of his staff aimed at her head.

She threw herself forward, barely dodging the blow, and spun quickly to face the Martyr. Unlike before, he didn't remain at a distance. He marched forward, his previous icy slowness banished by the flood of energy, and swung his blade at her.

Mina parried, and tried a strike of her own, only to be forced to dodge when he swung his staff in a wide, sweeping arc. No skulls emerged this time, but Mina was still wary of them appearing.

Thinking quickly, she shifted her cane into its whip form, hoping to stay out of his reach while tearing him apart. She swung wide, and the serrated edge of the whip bit into Logarius's shoulder. This time he didn't flinch away from the pain. He thrust forward with his blade, the edge catching her side painfully, and forcing her to retreat. He didn't let up, swinging again and again, nearly as fast as the ladies of the castle, but much more effectively.

In a desperate move, Mine fired a blind pistol shot into Logarius's chest. To her relief, the shot caught him dead center and sent him toppling to his knees, stunned.

She wasted no time closing the distance and plunging a fist into his chest, grasping at his viscera. Between his desiccation and her earlier strikes, there wasn't much left, but there was enough to get a solid handful. She ripped her fist free as hard as she could, and Logarius went flying backwards, sprawling out on the rooftop while Mina bathed in the meager bloodshower.

The shower helped, but it wasn't quite enough to restore her to full health. She pulled the final vial free and injected it, letting its warmth drive away the cold that had been creeping into her limbs.

Her respite was brief. The empty vial had only just fallen from her fingers when Logarius rose to his feet and leapt into the air once more. Mina rolled towards him, letting him fly over her head and crash harmlessly into the rooftop behind.

Again she spun to face him, but was greeted only by an empty rooftop. She glanced wildly around, hoping to spot her quarry, but could only see snowflakes drifting in the sky. They formed a trail, leading up from the spot that she thought Logarius should be in into the sky, and were her only clue as to where he had gone. She followed them up, and was greeted by the sight of the Martyr's blade heading straight for her face.

Her dodge was a matter of inches, the blade catching the tricorn hat she wore and knocking it from her head as she hurled herself out of the way. As she did, she sent another wild shot at Logarius's form. This time, the bullet didn't do a single thing. In fact, it seemed to curve around his body as he raised his sword above his head and slammed it into the roof.

Energy blazed from the sword, twisting up into the sky and forming a dozen imitations of the blade. At Logarius's gesture, one of the blade's careened towards Mina. She could have tried to block the attack, but her whip, so effective at keeping opponents at range, was nearly useless at deflecting incoming strikes. She leapt to the side instead, letting the spectral blade sail past and shifting her weapon back to its cane form as quickly as she could.

In an instant, Logarius was beside her, his staff held in both hands as he swung it down at her with punishing force.

She dodged again, the breeze from the staff's passage ruffling her hair as she hopped to the side. Logarius followed with a second wide swing, and finished with a powerful slam to the ground, both of which she managed to evade. Doing so cost her dearly, however, and she could feel her breath tearing at her lungs, and her heart pounding in her chest. At this rate, she wouldn't last another two minutes.

Another sword whizzed by her head, and Mina nearly flinched with surprise. She had almost forgotten about that. More energy swords were forming above the original, leaving no doubt that she would have to deal with it sooner rather than later.

Summoning as much strength as she could, she spun on her heel and pelted toward the blade. Behind her, she could hear Logarius grunting as he tried to free his staff from the roof, which suited her just fine. The longer he was occupied, the better her chances.

She reached the original sword in just a few strides, slashing at it with all her might. She had hoped to shatter the blade, but despite its years of wear, it was still incredibly strong. Her strike bounced off, putting a sizable nick in her cane for the trouble.

Desperately, Mina dropped her pistol to the ground and grabbed the blade with her left hand. The energy that blazed around it seared her palm, but she fought through the pain and yanked it from the rooftop. Another spectral blade careened towards her, but she swung the sword she now held towards it, and sliced the energy in two.

Interestingly, the cloud of energy blades seemed to shift as Mina waved the weapon back and forth, which gave her an idea. With all her strength, she lifted the weapon above her head and hurled it as far as she could. It went spinning through the air and over the side of the roof, taking the cloud of copies with it.

If she had possessed any spare breath, she would have whooped for joy. Her spur of the moment plan had worked perfectly, and she had now stripped her opponent of half of his weaponry. As it was, she settled for a grim smile as she turned to face Logarius for what she hoped would be the final time.

Her smile quickly faded as she saw what he was up to. He had moved to the far end of the rooftop, near to his wooden throne, and raised his staff high above his head. At its tip, a massive sphere of energy was forming, easily ten times the size of the previous spheres he had thrown at her. If he unleashed it, there would be no avoiding the explosion, and it would certainly kill her.

There was no time to think. She hurtled forward, desperation granting her strength she didn't even realize she still possessed. The rooftop seemed to stretch out as she ran, growing longer with each passing step, and she felt as though she were running through molasses, but she didn't allow herself to stop.

As she ran, a distant memory flashed through her mind. It was a recollection of happier times, of warmth, happiness, and laughter. Of a flash of wide eyes and emerald hair. A recollection of the reason she had come to Yharnam, to Cainhurst in the first place.

It drove her forward, past the shrieking of her muscles and the aching of her breast. It drove her arm ever higher, raising the cane that felt like a lead bar as it swung through the air. It drove her mouth into a snarl as her weapon struck home, severing Logarius's head from his body in a single strike.

She collapsed to the ground, unable to stand for even a moment longer. Next to her, the Martyr's corpse did the same, the energy from his final attack fading until the night was dark once more. The golden crown that had been perched atop his head clattered to the floor, rolling along the rooftop until it came to rest against her arm. Snowflakes slowly drifted through the air, settling on top of her as she lay sprawled out across the roof. She was far too tired to brush them off, despite the chill they sent through her. At the moment, she only wanted to rest.

Eventually, the cold grew to be too much to bear, and Mina was forced to clamber slowly to her feet, her muscles protesting all the while. Logarius's body had long since dissipated, claimed by the very energy that had sustained it for so long. The only remnant of his existence was the wooden chair at the end of the rooftop, and the crown that Mina clutched in her hand.

It was ornate, all wrought gold and gleaming gems, more fit for a king or queen than a priest. On a whim, Mina lifted the crown and placed it atop her head. It was a bit too large for her, and threatened to slip down over her eyes, but she managed to balance it atop her ears after a few moments of fiddling. Now she was Mina, Queen of Castle Cainhurst!

The moment the crown was settled firmly atop her head, a massive gust of snow and mist began to rush past her. The sheer strength of the gust forced her to shield her face as best she could. When it finally cleared, the entire skyline had changed. Just in front of her, behind the Martyr's chair, a large building had appeared from thin air, burning torches flanking its entrance. A gush of warm air poured forth from the entryway, luring Mina inside before she could even think about what she was walking into.

Inside was a long stairway flanked by a dozen iron statues of old-fashioned knights atop their horses, lances held at attention. The light was dim, but not dangerously so, and Mina made her way up the stairs with little effort.

She entered into a throne room filled to the brim with marble statues like those that lined the entrance hall to the castle below. Kings and queens, goddesses and mortals, mothers and babes, all stared at Mina as she stepped inside, their stony eyes seeming to track her as she moved forward.

At the far end of the room, a pair of ornate golden thrones sat atop a dais. The left throne was empty, while the right held a woman the likes of which Mina had never seen before in her life.

Her skin was a brilliant white, putting even the marble statues that surrounded her to shame, and though she wore but a simple dress, she looked more elegant in it than any court lady in full regalia. Not even the iron mask clasped about her head could obscure the fact that the woman before Mina was a Queen in every sense of the word.

"Visitor," the woman said, her soft voice ringing throughout the hall with ease, "I claim no subjects, but here lieth Our throne. Kneel before us, or get thee gone."

It was a command, plain as day, and one Mina wasted no time following. She strode forward, ignoring her aches and pains, until she was standing in the circle of candles before the throne, and knelt before the queen.

"Ah, how wonderful to have so respectful a visitor after so many years. I am Annalise, Queen of Castle Cainhurst, Ruler of the Vilebloods, and sworn enemy of the church. Tell me, young one, what brings you before us?"

"I… don't know," Mina said. The summons had brought her to Cainhurst, but there was more to it than that. She could have left at any time, given up at the first sign of danger, at the first difficult battle. But she hadn't. Something had pushed her forward, had called her to this very spot. It was inexplicable, unknowable, almost like… destiny.

"Thou art an odd one indeed, to come so far without a purpose," Annalise said, cocking her head to the side slightly. Mina didn't know if the Queen could actually see out of the mask, but she did seem to be evaluating Mina.

"I guess I am," Mina replied.

Tinkling laughter filled the air, and Annalise raised a hand to cover the spot where her mouth would be underneath the mask. It seemed that even undeath did nothing to break years of courtly habits.

"Perhaps We can aid you, then," Annalise said, once her mirth had subsided. "In years gone by, many loyal subjects served Us. Sadly, none survived the wrath of the church, save for Ourself, and we tire of these piteous nights. If thou wouldst wish it, thou may partake of Our rotted blood, join in Our plight, and take oath against the church."

It was one of the strangest offers she had ever received, second only to the one that had made her a hunter in the first place. She had been crazy to take that offer, and she was crazy for considering this one too. But… she wanted to. She wanted to please the Queen, to serve her. Even if it might cause her problems.

Almost unconsciously, her head dipped even lower, the barest hint of a nod. It was enough for the Queen, though, and she extended her arm towards Mina. Then, she dragged a long, sharp nail along her wrist, and a line of blood appeared.

"Very well. Come, young one. Drink deep of Our blood."

The exchange was gentle, and far more delicate than Mina expected. Her lips pressed to the Queen's wrist, and her ancient blood flowed into her quickly, eagerly. It reminded her of the first time she had tried alcohol, burning her throat as she drank, then spreading throughout her body. It filled her with warmth, intoxicated her, stoked the fire that burned at her very center. She understood, now, why it had been so seductive to the Vilebloods of old.

All too soon, the Queen pulled her arm away, leaving Mina panting and woozy. Whether that was from the effects of the Queen's blood or just lingering exhaustion from her battle with the Martyr was impossible to tell.

"Now thou'rt too a Vileblood. One of the last two on this earth. But soon our ranks shall grow once more. We shall become many and, at long last, Our dream shall become reality. But for that, We require blood. Wilt thou fetch us some, closest of Our kin?"

"I... I will," Mina said, nearly tripping over her feet as she rose. Only a nearby table kept her from completely embarrassing herself, letting her lean against it while she waited for her legs to stop feeling like jelly.

"Then go, for the honor of Cainhurst. We await your return."

The task that the Queen had set for her wasn't an easy one. Considering her attitude, Annalise would probably only accept the best, the most concentrated of blood. That meant hunting other hunters.

It was a dangerous game. Mina had tangled with a handful of hunters on her journey, and they had all been close calls. Most wouldn't have the arcane talents of someone like Logarius, but they had other tricks that would make them just as dangerous. It was going to be a long hunt indeed.

The sound of crinkling paper drew her attention to the table she had been leaning on. A summons, much like the one that she had received, was resting beneath her fingers. It was sealed shut with a blob of blue wax, unlike the deep red wax that had adorned Mina's own invitation. She flipped it over, and found the front side completely blank. No address, no delivery instructions, not even a name.

A small smile crossed her lips. She might have quite the task ahead of her, but that didn't mean she had to do it alone.

* * *

"It's a trap, boy," Izuku's master said, gesturing towards the opened envelope that lay on the cluttered desk he was standing next to. "The Vilebloods are devious beyond belief. They mean to lure you in, and put you to the sword. Or worse, to corrupt you! Give up this fool's errand, and allow me to go in your stead!"

"It's addressed to me," Izuku said, shaking his head while he pulled on the last of his gear.

The heavy robes were made all the weightier by the knowledge of what they were meant for. Designed and blessed for holy combat against the servants of the enemy. And now they were his. The induction had been sudden, a surprise to both him and the rest of the order. He still didn't know if he was worthy of wearing them, but he was going to do his best to prove himself, and that started with his first mission.

"And I would know that handwriting anywhere. Mina was the one who sent that letter, not some Vileblood."

"Handwriting?" his master asked, picking the summons up and waving it at Izuku, "This is chicken scratch! How you can make sense of it, I don't know."

"And that's how I know it's from Mina," Izuku said with a smile. "No one could fake that."

His master snorted. "So you say. But you have no guarantee that she remains alive."

"Mina's strong. She's still alive," Izuku replied simply. As he spoke, he pulled the last of his attire on, and reached for his weapon.

Before he could take it, his master placed a strong hand on top of it, pinning the weapon to the ground.

"Midoriya, I can see by your eyes that my words will not dissuade you. But heed me now. The Vilebloods are a greater foe than you have ever faced before. They are cunning, skillful, and vicious. Even Master Logarius, rest his soul, was wary of their tricks. So, if you must do this, do not let your guard slip for even a moment. We can ill afford to lose another of our order so soon."

"I'll be careful, Master Alfred," Izuku said. He tugged at his weapon slightly, and the master Executioner lifted his hand, allowing Izuku to heft the massive wheel onto his shoulder. Rather than trouble him, its weight was a comfort. It would crush any Vileblood that stood before him, any that stood between him and Mina. "And I'll be back before you know it, with Mina beside me."

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks so much for reading. As I said, this is a bit of a departure from my usual work, but I hope you enjoyed it anyway. 
> 
> I should note that I created this with the intent of it being a standalone, so chances are it won't be getting a follow up.
> 
> Shout out to Raef_Darksbane for editing this fic, and HasturTheEndless for the encouragement and the idea for the ending. Ya'll are the best! And thank you once again to everyone reading this! Your support and enjoyment mean the world to me, and I hope you have and excellent day!


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